Am I not staying on Pred for long enough

[hamster139]

I have taken Pred 3 times.... and 2 of the times... the flare came back.... I am wondering if this is because I wasnt on it long enough.... or maybe it just isnt effective for kicking me into remission.

While I was on it... I felt perfect.... no stomach issues... and no fatigue or sickness.... It was absolutely amazing.

I took 40 mg for 30 days.. then tapered off another 30 days... I am 40 and 210 pounds... and have moderate Crohns of the terminal Ilium.

Just wondering what you all think.

Thanks.

 

[Jennifer]

What else are you taking? Steroids are great for getting rid of current inflammation but they do nothing to prevent it. Also how long does it take until you flare again after coming off the steroids completely?

 

[hamster139]

What else are you taking? Steroids are great for getting rid of current inflammation but they do nothing to prevent it. Also how long does it take until you flare again after coming off the steroids completely?

Hi Crabby... Just taking Asacol. The flare comes back after a few weeks after ive completely tapered off.. its as if it just kinda continues where it left off.

 

[Grumbletum]

I think some people can be resistant to a medication. I was on Pred for 6 months. It gave me some relief from symptoms, but after tests the docs said it had done little to nothing to reduce inflammation.

 

[Jennifer]

When you have blood work done does it show that your inflammation markers are actually going down? My guess isn't the Pred being the issue but probably the Asacol not being enough.

For me something similar would happen when I was just on Asacol. I had my TI and colon affected. Would take Prednisone for many months (might have been around 4-6 months including taper) and then would gradually start to flare back up again (took longer than a few weeks though, more like a few months) and then repeat the process. My GI decided to add 6MP to the mix and it helped for a couple years before I had my resection. Seemed like too little too late for me.

 

[hamster139]

When you have blood work done does it show that your inflammation markers are actually going down? My guess isn't the Pred being the issue but probably the Asacol not being enough.

For me something similar would happen when I was just on Asacol. I had my TI and colon affected. Would take Prednisone for many months (might have been around 4-6 months including taper) and then would gradually start to flare back up again (took longer than a few weeks though, more like a few months) and then repeat the process. My GI decided to add 6MP to the mix and it helped for a couple years before I had my resection. Seemed like too little too late for me.

You may be right. I am going to back up to my higher dose of asacol... The Dr. told me to go down last year... and now that I think about it... it hasnt been the same. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Jennifer]

Interestingly enough, I also noticed a change when my GI took me off Asacol and kept me on just the 6MP. He took me off of it because he said I didn't need it anymore. Well I went from remission to "clinical remission." Me thinks there's a link. After that he just kept bumping up the dose of the 6MP when maybe adding Asacol back might have been all I needed. I'm on Humira now instead of the 6MP though, oh well.